Bonnie Gross: I really enjoyed “Scenes from the Suburbs.” At first I was a little confused about the premise, but it was its ambiguity that made the short so interesting. If anything this intensified the friendship between the two main characters. I actually have heard the entire album “Arcade Fire,” which the short was based on and I thought they did a very good job at incorporating the songs without over doing it. The lyrics were placed accordingly. I even felt very sad by the end, because the story some how got to me. The cinematography was also very good. The handheld camera work was very slick and added to the story. Also the lighting on the character’s faces was very dark, but worked for the story. This was especially true when Winter began spiraling into depression. The more he became depressed, the less light was shown on this face. Overall I really liked the short.
This movie was enjoyable. While the overall pacing felt drawn out, and the depictions of the military and security forces often felt cliched and repetitive, the attempt to create an interesting alternate reality presents a reason to keep watching. At the end of the film, I couldn't really say I cared about any of the characters, but at the same time, this seemed appropriate. Disconnecting the concern of the viewer felt like a very effective and interesting method of providing a sense of isolation and alienation. Because I couldn't find any real closure in any of the characters' actions, I was left with an overall sense of hopelessness that may have been under emphasized otherwise.
As far as the technical aspects of the film go, the sound design and cinematography did a suitable job of conveying necessary information. The constant siren effects used at the border checkpoints was a particularly interesting touch, as was the overall motif of very yellow lighting during the night. However, most of the time I simply didn't pay much attention to any individual element of the movie. This resulted in an overall feeling of boredom, which perhaps could have been made better with a quicker pacing of the main elements of the story, but this boils down to personal preference.
"Scenes from the Suburbs" is an interesting short. At first I did not know what I was watching and I was bored and confused because their dialogue and jokes did not interest me. Once some of the weird stuff started to happen with Winter, that when it started becoming more interesting. Throughout the story i was very confused because the transitions were not that clear but then I realized the title of the short and what the main character said at the beginning. He only remember certain parts of his life and memories so clearly and some he can't remember, which plays off of the title of the movie.
The alternative world being portrayed was a little silly to me. I understood that they wanted to emphasized how suburban issues can get out of hand but it was too out of hand. Why are you going to stop someone from going to a mall in your town which will give more money to that town just because they are having issues, that is silly to me and there are better things to worry about.
I was confused about what was happening with Winter and his brother. Maybe his brother was in confinement in another neighboring town, or he went to jail, or he came back from war. If that is the case, the mindset of people after warfare or confinement is a serious issue because they can become a whole new person which can affect the many people around him or her.
On the technical side, I don't know if it was my computer or not, but some of the scene were too dark. They maybe could have put a dull practical light is some scenes so I could see what was going on. The one scene I liked was when the main character went to see Winter and was talking to him through the window. The nighttime color blue to the contrasted orange color of the inside of the house was nice to look at.
The acting was alright, there were some awkward pauses when some of the characters were speaking that stood out to me. Overall, the short was fairly simple because it revolved around 5 friends and only really focused on Winter's family, through the narrative of the main character.
Kaitlin: This film gives out an awkward feeling when watching it, I feel like I’m back in high school or MIDDLE school! The quality of the film is not that good at all. The cinematography and lighting is poor in my mind. A lot of the scenes were dark and had shadows. The dialogue sounds like it’s coming from an innocent teenager. I don’t even feel like there’s any acting going on, it’s like I am watching a reality TV show. I was really confused and just bored with the dialogue. Overall, the short film, “Scene from the Suburbs,” was interesting, but it wasn’t until later in the film. The scene or issue with the brother was confusing to me, the director didn’t do well in putting that across to audiences. I do not think this short did a good job clarifying everything because I am still confused, I understand the memories he’s pulling from for suburban life, but otherwise this short didn’t grab my full attention. It was simple, plain, and something I could have made.
Joel Jarvis: I like the idea of showing memories of a certain time in your life through film. Just like real memories its hard to flow from one to the other but to the person remembering it all makes sense. The setting this takes place in is different as well. The cities are all independent from one another in every way, Very bizarre to think how this would work in the real world. It was very chilling to hear Winter when he said that every one was a character in his dream and was scared of what was gonna happen to them when he wakes up. The blank stare he gave was just haunting. I do feel that overall trying to find a single cohesive story is difficult but vewing each scene as an individual would make it easier to process.
This was an interesting short. The first time I watched it I didn't really understand it all, then the second time I sort of understood it. I think though that might have been the point to not fully understand the story. So, I get the feeling that how the dialogue, scenes and the scarce information given to us was because that is how Kyle remembered it like how he said in the beginning of the short. Also, the audience doesn't really understand why these towns are so heavily guarded or what is the purpose of military, but that the same for these teenage kids. I got the feeling they didn't really understand it either.
I think the strangest part was Winters brother and the transformation of Winter. The dialogue kept referencing human or not human. It felt like when Winters brother came back, from where ever he was, he was changed some way. And was this changing Winter too? Or did his brother change him? I automatically thought of aliens when they were talking about Winter's brother. Like the government or Military has been taken over by aliens and are implanting themselves in there brains.
The whole thing over all was filmed nicely. The cinematography was nice. I didn't like how low the some of the character sound was. Especially when winter is talking about his dream. I had to watch that part five times to finally hear all of what he was saying. The storyline was intriguing but way to open ended. I wanted more. I wanted to know why so much military and why Winter's brother was different and why Winter himself changed. I just wanted a bit more just to understand it.
Rebecca Bynum: after watching "scenes from the suburbs" I found it enjoyable. At first however I was confused and the jokes weren't grabbing my attention and bringing me into the story line. I thought the handheld camera movement really helped tell the story and gave the story an interesting feel. while watching the short I felt like I was brought into the story and back in high school. I really enjoyed the reference towards human and not human. The sound when winter is talking was hard to hear but I think it helped tell the story and have it a more feel to him as a character. Overall I enjoyed the short and the cinematography was good
I didn't really understand this film very well. I could not figure out if a lot of the the lighting that was poor and made things too dark was purposeful or just done badly. A lot of the scenes were confusing and almost seemed out of order. I understand making a film so that it stands out in a different or artsy sense, but this just seemed to be poorly made.
I suppose a lot of the film was handheld, and it seemed a little to obvious at times. Again, I couldn't figure out if this was purposely done or if it was just bad film work.
On a positive note, the story in itself was interesting, but I was not enveloped by it, and it is definitely not something I care to watch again. I almost didn't watch it all the way through the first time.
I thought this short was very charming and relatable to me since I grew up in the suburbs of Houston. I liked how throughout the short it would flash images of different events, bringing the viewer back to the beginning to remember that all of this is what the protagonist remembers of that summer.
The film isn't very explicit on what is happening or why some of the characters are changing, but I think that's purposeful. It's just supposed to be the protagonist's imperfect memory of his friend and of their last summer of innocence together.
Technically, the film was very well done overall. There were a few scenes with poor lighting or with poor audio mixes and I couldn't hear the dialogue very well. With the way the story was set up, however, I could forgive these things since all the images ans scenes were memories, and therefore not perfect. I liked the party scene towards the end that had the happy party music that juxtaposed the mood the boy was feeling.
The actors were very good in my opinion, especially the lead boy towards the end. The film itself really captured feelings of innocence and freedom along with pain, loss, and fear. I thought it was very well done and I may even watch it again.
Scenes from the Suburbs was another surreal short film, that had decent production value, but an odd story. The story was set in a strange alternative world which was divided into warring suburb-states. It was a pretty neat concept, and it was pulled off well using differing military uniforms for each state, as well as helicopters and other military equipment. However, while it might have been a cool concept, it was also pretty absurd and unrealistic, detracting from the overall quality of the story. I understand it was probably meant to be symbolic as opposed to practical, but that doesn’t excuse how unrealistic the backstory is. The plot was difficult for me to understand, and seemed to involve a friendship that was breaking down due to one of the friends going off the deep end, but I wasn’t entirely sure what caused him to become so morbidly depressed. The cinematography was ambitious and high quality, but many of the scenes were too dark, and made it difficult to see the different character’s faces. The music and overall sound quality was excellent, and was one of the highest points for the film. The actors were good, and spoke clearly, though it wasn’t always easy to be interested in the things they said. Overall, the video was alright, but it was marred by an unrealistic backstory and difficult to follow plot.
Bonnie Gross: I really enjoyed “Scenes from the Suburbs.” At first I was a little confused about the premise, but it was its ambiguity that made the short so interesting. If anything this intensified the friendship between the two main characters. I actually have heard the entire album “Arcade Fire,” which the short was based on and I thought they did a very good job at incorporating the songs without over doing it. The lyrics were placed accordingly. I even felt very sad by the end, because the story some how got to me.
ReplyDeleteThe cinematography was also very good. The handheld camera work was very slick and added to the story. Also the lighting on the character’s faces was very dark, but worked for the story. This was especially true when Winter began spiraling into depression. The more he became depressed, the less light was shown on this face. Overall I really liked the short.
Mike McGee
ReplyDeleteThis movie was enjoyable. While the overall pacing felt drawn out, and the depictions of the military and security forces often felt cliched and repetitive, the attempt to create an interesting alternate reality presents a reason to keep watching. At the end of the film, I couldn't really say I cared about any of the characters, but at the same time, this seemed appropriate. Disconnecting the concern of the viewer felt like a very effective and interesting method of providing a sense of isolation and alienation. Because I couldn't find any real closure in any of the characters' actions, I was left with an overall sense of hopelessness that may have been under emphasized otherwise.
As far as the technical aspects of the film go, the sound design and cinematography did a suitable job of conveying necessary information. The constant siren effects used at the border checkpoints was a particularly interesting touch, as was the overall motif of very yellow lighting during the night. However, most of the time I simply didn't pay much attention to any individual element of the movie. This resulted in an overall feeling of boredom, which perhaps could have been made better with a quicker pacing of the main elements of the story, but this boils down to personal preference.
Nia Barnes
ReplyDelete"Scenes from the Suburbs" is an interesting short. At first I did not know what I was watching and I was bored and confused because their dialogue and jokes did not interest me. Once some of the weird stuff started to happen with Winter, that when it started becoming more interesting. Throughout the story i was very confused because the transitions were not that clear but then I realized the title of the short and what the main character said at the beginning. He only remember certain parts of his life and memories so clearly and some he can't remember, which plays off of the title of the movie.
The alternative world being portrayed was a little silly to me. I understood that they wanted to emphasized how suburban issues can get out of hand but it was too out of hand. Why are you going to stop someone from going to a mall in your town which will give more money to that town just because they are having issues, that is silly to me and there are better things to worry about.
I was confused about what was happening with Winter and his brother. Maybe his brother was in confinement in another neighboring town, or he went to jail, or he came back from war. If that is the case, the mindset of people after warfare or confinement is a serious issue because they can become a whole new person which can affect the many people around him or her.
On the technical side, I don't know if it was my computer or not, but some of the scene were too dark. They maybe could have put a dull practical light is some scenes so I could see what was going on. The one scene I liked was when the main character went to see Winter and was talking to him through the window. The nighttime color blue to the contrasted orange color of the inside of the house was nice to look at.
The acting was alright, there were some awkward pauses when some of the characters were speaking that stood out to me. Overall, the short was fairly simple because it revolved around 5 friends and only really focused on Winter's family, through the narrative of the main character.
Kaitlin: This film gives out an awkward feeling when watching it, I feel like I’m back in high school or MIDDLE school! The quality of the film is not that good at all. The cinematography and lighting is poor in my mind. A lot of the scenes were dark and had shadows. The dialogue sounds like it’s coming from an innocent teenager. I don’t even feel like there’s any acting going on, it’s like I am watching a reality TV show. I was really confused and just bored with the dialogue. Overall, the short film, “Scene from the Suburbs,” was interesting, but it wasn’t until later in the film. The scene or issue with the brother was confusing to me, the director didn’t do well in putting that across to audiences. I do not think this short did a good job clarifying everything because I am still confused, I understand the memories he’s pulling from for suburban life, but otherwise this short didn’t grab my full attention. It was simple, plain, and something I could have made.
ReplyDeleteJoel Jarvis: I like the idea of showing memories of a certain time in your life through film. Just like real memories its hard to flow from one to the other but to the person remembering it all makes sense. The setting this takes place in is different as well. The cities are all independent from one another in every way, Very bizarre to think how this would work in the real world.
ReplyDeleteIt was very chilling to hear Winter when he said that every one was a character in his dream and was scared of what was gonna happen to them when he wakes up. The blank stare he gave was just haunting.
I do feel that overall trying to find a single cohesive story is difficult but vewing each scene as an individual would make it easier to process.
Ellen Schwartz
ReplyDeleteThis was an interesting short. The first time I watched it I didn't really understand it all, then the second time I sort of understood it. I think though that might have been the point to not fully understand the story. So, I get the feeling that how the dialogue, scenes and the scarce information given to us was because that is how Kyle remembered it like how he said in the beginning of the short. Also, the audience doesn't really understand why these towns are so heavily guarded or what is the purpose of military, but that the same for these teenage kids. I got the feeling they didn't really understand it either.
I think the strangest part was Winters brother and the transformation of Winter. The dialogue kept referencing human or not human. It felt like when Winters brother came back, from where ever he was, he was changed some way. And was this changing Winter too? Or did his brother change him? I automatically thought of aliens when they were talking about Winter's brother. Like the government or Military has been taken over by aliens and are implanting themselves in there brains.
The whole thing over all was filmed nicely. The cinematography was nice. I didn't like how low the some of the character sound was. Especially when winter is talking about his dream. I had to watch that part five times to finally hear all of what he was saying. The storyline was intriguing but way to open ended. I wanted more. I wanted to know why so much military and why Winter's brother was different and why Winter himself changed. I just wanted a bit more just to understand it.
Rebecca Bynum: after watching "scenes from the suburbs" I found it enjoyable. At first however I was confused and the jokes weren't grabbing my attention and bringing me into the story line. I thought the handheld camera movement really helped tell the story and gave the story an interesting feel. while watching the short I felt like I was brought into the story and back in high school. I really enjoyed the reference towards human and not human. The sound when winter is talking was hard to hear but I think it helped tell the story and have it a more feel to him as a character. Overall I enjoyed the short and the cinematography was good
ReplyDeleteJohn Hiott
ReplyDeleteI didn't really understand this film very well. I could not figure out if a lot of the the lighting that was poor and made things too dark was purposeful or just done badly. A lot of the scenes were confusing and almost seemed out of order. I understand making a film so that it stands out in a different or artsy sense, but this just seemed to be poorly made.
I suppose a lot of the film was handheld, and it seemed a little to obvious at times. Again, I couldn't figure out if this was purposely done or if it was just bad film work.
On a positive note, the story in itself was interesting, but I was not enveloped by it, and it is definitely not something I care to watch again. I almost didn't watch it all the way through the first time.
Lauren Musgrove
ReplyDeleteI thought this short was very charming and relatable to me since I grew up in the suburbs of Houston. I liked how throughout the short it would flash images of different events, bringing the viewer back to the beginning to remember that all of this is what the protagonist remembers of that summer.
The film isn't very explicit on what is happening or why some of the characters are changing, but I think that's purposeful. It's just supposed to be the protagonist's imperfect memory of his friend and of their last summer of innocence together.
Technically, the film was very well done overall. There were a few scenes with poor lighting or with poor audio mixes and I couldn't hear the dialogue very well. With the way the story was set up, however, I could forgive these things since all the images ans scenes were memories, and therefore not perfect. I liked the party scene towards the end that had the happy party music that juxtaposed the mood the boy was feeling.
The actors were very good in my opinion, especially the lead boy towards the end. The film itself really captured feelings of innocence and freedom along with pain, loss, and fear. I thought it was very well done and I may even watch it again.
Hampton Bradshaw:
ReplyDeleteScenes from the Suburbs was another surreal short film, that had decent production value, but an odd story. The story was set in a strange alternative world which was divided into warring suburb-states. It was a pretty neat concept, and it was pulled off well using differing military uniforms for each state, as well as helicopters and other military equipment. However, while it might have been a cool concept, it was also pretty absurd and unrealistic, detracting from the overall quality of the story. I understand it was probably meant to be symbolic as opposed to practical, but that doesn’t excuse how unrealistic the backstory is.
The plot was difficult for me to understand, and seemed to involve a friendship that was breaking down due to one of the friends going off the deep end, but I wasn’t entirely sure what caused him to become so morbidly depressed.
The cinematography was ambitious and high quality, but many of the scenes were too dark, and made it difficult to see the different character’s faces.
The music and overall sound quality was excellent, and was one of the highest points for the film. The actors were good, and spoke clearly, though it wasn’t always easy to be interested in the things they said.
Overall, the video was alright, but it was marred by an unrealistic backstory and difficult to follow plot.